Method and device for the twisting of at least two single-lines

ABSTRACT

The present invention refers to a method of twisting at least two individual conductors comprising the following steps: 
     fixing the first conductor ends of individual conductors, which have been cut off to a suitable length, in respective separate untwisting fixation means which are rotatable essentially parallel to a twisting axis; 
     fixing the second conductor ends of said individual conductors in respective separate twisting fixation means which are arranged such that they are adapted to be rotated in common about said twisting axis; 
     arranging a twisting slide between the essentially tensioned conductors; and 
     rotating the twisting fixation means in common about the twisting axis and rotating the untwisting fixation means about the conductor axis of the respective conductors in the same direction. 
     This method aims at achieving a reduced production expenditure for twisted conductors on the basis of more flexible production conditions. In addition, the present invention refers to an apparatus for twisting at least two individual conductors.

The present invention refers to a method of twisting at least twoindividual conductors and to a twisting apparatus used for this purpose.

Twisted conductors are used in great number of cases and for a greatvariety of purposes where electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) isdesired. One field of application is the use of such conductors in thefield of automotive engineering, e.g. for loudspeaker conductors orairbag conductors. Up to now, conductor manufacturers have alwaysproduced twisted conductors in the form of endless twisted conductorswhich were wound onto drums for the purpose of selling. In the case ofsuch endless twisting operations, the cable drums with the “endless”individual conductors are rotatably secured to the twisting head androtate together therewith about the twisting axis. The twistedconductors are then cut to length for the respective intended use, theends are partly untwisted and the means in question, e.g. contactterminals, attachment members, individual wire sealing means, areattached thereto. These processes require a large amount of work and aretherefore expensive. In addition, the stock of twisted conductors mustbe comparatively large, since said conductors are produced withdifferent diameters, twisting gradients, numbers of individualconductors, different combinations of colours of the individualconductors, etc. for the respective intended use.

It is now the object of the present invention to provide a method oftwisting individual conductors, which makes the production of twistedconductors more attractive for cable manufacturers with regard to theexpenditure of work, the manufacturing costs and the storage expenses.

According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a methodcomprising the following steps:

fixing the first conductor ends of individual conductors, which havebeen cut off to a suitable length, in respective separate untwistingfixation means which are rotatable essentially parallel to a twistingaxis;

fixing the second conductor ends of said individual conductors inrespective separate twisting fixation means which are arranged such thatthey are adapted to be rotated in common about said twisting axis;

arranging a twisting slide between the essentially tensioned conductors;and

rotating the twisting fixation means in common about the twisting axisand rotating the untwisting fixation means about the conductor axis ofthe respective conductors in the same direction.

The enormous advantage of this method is to be seen in the fact thatindividual conductors can be cut to a specific length, perhaps strippedand provided with various components prior to the twisting operation.The conductor ends, which may perhaps be provided with attachments, arethen inserted in the respective fixation means and clamped in position,each fixation means having preferably associated therewith one conductorend. The twisting fixation means and the twisting slide then carry outthe twisting of the individual conductors, whereas the untwistingfixation means can remain at a position where they are arrangedessentially parallel to the twisting axis. Since, due to the commonrotational movement of the twisting fixation means, the individualconductors are also rotated about their own axis in the case of eachrotation about the twisting axis, the untwisting fixation means willtake care that a rotational movement of each individual conductor in thesame direction takes place so that said individual conductors cannotbecome twisted in themselves.

On the basis of the method according to the present invention, theamount of material that has to be kept in stock can be reduced, since itis no longer necessary to keep all the combinations of conductor coloursand conductor cross-sections in stock. The combinations of conductorsrequired can now be produced from standard conductors in accordance withthe cable manufacturer's wishes. In contrast to the processing ofconventional twisted conductors, problems will no longer arise withregard to untwisting, smoothing, unwinding from drums, cutting, cuttingto length, stripping, fastening and mounting of sealing means. Forsubjecting conductors which have already been twisted to this kind ofprocessing, special machines are required. The method according to thepresent invention permits processing on standard machines, sincetwisting can be carried out as the last manufacturing step. In thisconnection, also the reliability of the process and the quality of thetwisted conductors will be improved. By means of said method, it iseasily possible to process prefabricated conductors with arbitrary kindsof attachements at the conductor ends. The untwisting operation takescare that torsional loads at the ends of the individual conductors willbe avoided.

The twisting slide can be arranged in the vicinity of the twistingfixation means between the conductors in an advantageous manner, and,during the twisting operation, it can be displaced in the direction ofthe untwisting fixation means. This permits a more precise control ofthe twisting operation, since, initially, said twisting operation beginsas closely as possible to the twisting fixation means.

In addition, the displacement speed of the twisting slide can becontrolled in dependence upon the speed with which the twisting fixationmeans rotate about the twisting axis.

The twisting gradient of the individual conductors can be varied in thisway. This can even be done to such an extent that a twisted cableproduced from individual conductors can comprise different sections withdifferent twisting gradients. For keeping the tensile stresses which acton the individual conductors during the twisting operation essentiallyconstant, the untwisting fixation means can be moved in the direction ofthe twisting fixation means in a controlled manner during the twistingoperation. It is readily evident that, due to the twisting of individualconductors having a specific length, only cables having a shorter finallength can be produced depending on the twisting gradient. This“shrinkage” is preferably taken into account by a controlleddisplacement of the twisting fixation means. It is, of course, alsopossible to move the untwisting fixation means relative to the twistingfixation means. It turned out that a certain amount of pretension on theindividual conductors is advantageous for the twisting operation.

In accordance with a further variant, it is suggested that the cuttingto length and/or fixing of the individual conductors should be carriedout automatically. Accordingly, further intermediate steps can be added,when the individual conductors are subjected to additionalprefabricating steps, e.g. by attaching suitable terminals to the endsetc. This measure will be particularly suitable when twisted cables inhigh numbers of pieces are dealt with.

In accordance with an advantageous embodiment, the untwisting fixationmeans can be moved, after the clamping of the first conductor ends,along the twisting axis away from the twisting fixation means so as toinsert the conductors into a twisting apparatus. The untwisting fixationmeans are thus used as a transport device for the individual conductors.

One feature that can be provided in this connection is that the specificinsertion length is smaller than the maximun distance between theuntwisting and twisting fixation means at the beginning of the twistingoperation, and that, after the fixing of the second ends in the twistingfixation means, the conductors are tensioned by a renewed displacementof the untwisting fixation means. on the one hand, this process willfacilitate the insertion of the second ends of the individualconductors, since they can be inserted into the twisting fixation meanswhile they are still comparatively loose and not pretensioned and, onthe other hand, a pretension is purposefully applied to the individualconductors by displacing the untwisting fixation means.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the conductors can be twistedmore closely in the area of their conductor ends than in the residualarea. This closer twisting in the area of the conductor ends constitutesa kind of knotting whereby the twisting in its entirety will be securedmore reliably. Hence, inadvertent untwisting of the conductors willoccur less easily.

In addition, the present invention refers to a twisting apparatus fortwisting at least two individual conductors. This twisting apparatuscomprises at least two untwisting fixation means used for fixingconductor ends and arranged such that they are adapted to be rotatedseparately and substantially parallel to a twisting axis, at least twotwisting fixation means used for fixing the second conductor ends andarranged in opposed relationship with said untwisting fixation means,said twisting fixation means being arranged such that they are adaptedto be rotated about the twisting axis in common, and a twisting slidewhich is adapted to be positioned between the conductors, saiduntwisting fixation means and said twisting fixation means being adaptedto be moved relative to one another along the twisting axis.

By means of this apparatus, the method according to the presentinvention can be carried out in an advantageous manner and theadvantages underlying the present invention can be achieved. Thisapparatus has a very small width and its length must only correspond tothe length predetermined by the initial length of the individualconductors which is required for the twisting operation.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the untwisting fixation meanscan be arranged on a common untwisting slide such that they aredisplaceable along the twisting axis by means of a linear drive. Thelinear drive can be controlled very precisely, but it can also producecomparatively high insertion speeds. The drive for the untwistingfixation means is then preferably provided on the untwisting slide aswell.

The twisting slide can also be arranged on a carriage such that it isadapted to be displaced along the twisting axis by means of a lineardrive, whereby the twisting gradient can be adjusted more precisely,since the conductor section which is just being twisted is alwayslocated directly at the twisting slide. In order to simplify thestructural design of the device, the twisting fixation means can bearranged on a common support which is adapted to be rotated about thetwisting axis.

In accordance with one embodiment, it will be of advantage when theuntwisting fixation means and/or the twisting fixation means eachcomprise a fixed clamping jaw and a movable clamping jaw. It will thensuffice to control the movable clamping jaw for clamping the ends of theindividual conductors in position. According to an advantageousembodiment, the clamping jaws comprise a prismatic clamping area whichis adjustable in size. A clamping area having a structural design ofthis kind will automatically adapt itself to the various diameters ofthe individual conductors so that a great variety of conductor sizes canbe used without any adjustment measures.

In order to permit the clamping jaws to carry out the clamping functionduring the twisting operation without any additional supply of energy,e.g. by hydraulic or pneumatic pressure, the fixed and the movableclamping jaw can be spring-loaded in the clamping direction with the aidof a spring means. Hence, it will suffice to apply a suitable openingforce for opening the clamping jaws.

In accordance with a further embodiment, the untwisting fixation meansand the twisting fixation means each provide a stop for the conductorends so that a precisely positioned insertion can be carried out.

According to a preferred embodiment, the untwisting fixation means andthe twisting fixation means can comprise reception means for attachmentsat the conductor ends, said reception means being displaced relative tothe clamping area of the clamping jaws. The attachments are thereforepositioned such that they are protected comparatively well during thetwisting operation and they are prevented from being damaged.

In accordance with an advantageous embodiment, a control means can beprovided, which coordinates the speeds of the untwisting fixation meansand of the twisting fixation means and the displacement speeds of thetwisting fixation means and of the twisting slide according topredetermined values. This permits a very efficient, fully automaticproduction of twisted individual conductors, even of those havingdifferent twisting gradients, precisely according to the program inquestion.

According to a further embodiment, it is suggested that at least twotwisting stations comprising corresponding structural components shouldbe arranged in an apparatus side by side, whereby a tandem arrangementis formed. This permits the production of at least two twisted cables atthe same time, the linear drives being adapted to be used for bothtwisting stations.

For taking into account the reduction of the length of the individualconductors by the twisting operation, the twisting fixation means can bearranged such that they are displaceable along the linear guide meanswith the aid of a transport means. Maintaining a desired pretension, apneumatic cylinder with couterpressure control can permit a displacementof the twisting fixation means due to the tension produced by theshrinkage of length.

In the following, one embodiment of the present invention will beexplained in detail on the basis of a drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic front view of the twisting apparatus accordingto the present invention provided with a cable post,

FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of the apparatus according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the twisting head of the apparatus,

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the untwisting fixation means of theapparatus,

FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of a first method step,

FIG. 6 shows a schematic representation of a second method step, and

FIG. 7 shows a schematic representation of a third method step.

The twisting apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises essentially amachine column 2 with linear guide means 3, and a twisting head 4, anuntwisting head 5 and a twisting slide 6, which are arranged on each ofsaid linear guide means 3. The twisting head 4 essentially consists of atwisting motor 7 and of twisting fixation means 8 driven by said motor7. The twisting head 4 is held at its starting position via a pneumaticcylinder. During the twisting operation, the twisting head 4 isdisplaced along the linear guide means 3 in the direction of theuntwisting head 5 (counterpressure adjustable).

The untwisting head 5, however, which consists of a bearing receptionmeans 9 and of the untwisting fixation means 10, is adapted to bedisplaced along the linear guide means 3 with the aid of a linear drive11.

The twisting slide 6, which consists essentially of a carriage 12displaceable along the linear guide means 3 and of an upwardly directedpin 13, is also driven by a linear drive 14 by means of which it isdisplaceable. The pin 13 engages between the individual conductors 15and 16 which are arranged between the twisting fixation means 8 and theuntwisting fixation means 10. Furthermore, additional brush devices canbe arranged within the apparatus, said brush devices being used forcalming the conductors 15 and 16 during the twisting operation (notshown).

In addition, a control device can be provided by means of which theprocess steps carried out at the twisting head 4, the untwisting head 5and the linear drives 11 and 14 are coordinated.

A post system 17 can be provided as an individual-conductor supplier,said post system 17 having arranged thereon many individual conductors15, 16 in parallel juxtaposed relationship. Brushes 18 provided on saidpost system 17 take care that individual conductors 15, 16 which aredrawn off the post system 17 will not entrain other conductors. Theindividual conductors 15, 16 were previously cut off to a suitablelength and, if necessary, prefabricated.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the twisting apparatus 1 shown is a tandemsystem comprising a first twisting station 19 and a second twistingstation 20.

Making reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the twisting head 4 and theuntwisting head 5 will be described in detail hereinbelow.

In the apparatus shown, the twisting head 4 (FIG. 3) comprises a support19, which is adapted to be rotated about a twisting axis A and which hasarranged thereon two twisting fixation means 8 symmetrically with regardto the twisting axis A. The twisting fixation means 8 comprise a fixedclamping jaw 20 with a prismatic clamping insert 21 and a movableclamping jaw 22 with a prismatic clamping insert 23. The clampinginserts 21 and 23 delimit a square clamping opening 24′ which isadjustable in size on the basis of a comblike interengagement of theclamping inserts 21 and 23. The movable jaw 22 is connected to arotatable opening wheel 24 provided with engagement teeth 25. In thecondition shown, the fixed jaw 20 and the movable jaw 22 are urgedtowards one another by a spring means so as to produce the clampingeffect so that the opening wheel 24 is used for opening against theeffect produced by the spring means.

For moving the movable jaw 22, an opening device 26 is provided, whichcomprises a vertically adjustable pneumatic unit 27 acting by means ofits piston 28 on rack sections 29 and 30 which are vertically movable aswell. These rack sections 29 and 30 are adapted to be brought intoengagement with the engagement teeth 25 of the opening wheels 24, themovable jaws 22 being transferred to their open position by moving thepiston 28 to the left. Since the clamping effect is achieved by thespring means, which are not shown, at the jaws 20 and 22, the openingdevice 26 is moved to a suitable level and into engagement with theopening wheel 24 only if the jaws are to be opened.

Due to the fact that the twisting fixation means 8 are arranged on thesupport 19, also said twisting fixation means will rotate about thetwisting axis A without changing their position relative to the support19.

The untwisting head 5 (FIG. 4) comprises two untwisting fixation means10, each of said untwisting fixation means being adapted to be rotatedseparately about axes of rotation which extend parallel to the twistingaxis A. Since the structural design of the untwisting fixation means 10and of the opening device 26 corresponds to the structural design of thetwisting fixation means 8 in all other respects, identical referencenumerals can be used, and a more detailed description can be dispensedwith. In order to supplement the above, it should also be pointed outthat the untwisting head 5 with the bearing reception means 9 is adaptedto be displaced along the linear guide means 3, the linear drive 11being used for driving the untwisting head in this case. The untwistingfixation means 10 are driven either in common by a single drive orindividually or they are merely supported. Coupling to the linear drive11 is easily possible as well.

With the aid of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the mode of operation of theabove-described embodiment will now be explained in detail in thefollowing.

In the top views, it can additionally be seen that the clamping inserts21 and 23 are shorter than the movable jaw 22 and the fixed jaw 20 sothat a reception opening 31 is formed in axially displaced relationshipwith the clamping inserts 21, 23, said reception opening 31accommodating attachments 32, e.g. contact terminals, of the indvididualconductors 15, 16.

On the basis of FIG. 5, it can be seen that two conductors 15, 16 havebeen removed from the post system 17 and that their first ends 33 withthe contact terminals 32 have been inserted into the untwisting fixationmeans 10. When these conductors are being inserted, a respective singleconductor 15, 16 is inserted into a suitable untwisting fixation means10. For this purpose, the movable jaw 22 must be opened by the openingdevice 26. The ends 33 are then advanced up to a stop surface of theuntwisting fixation means 10 so that they are accurately positioned.Following this, the movable jaw 22 is closed by moving the piston 28and/or by direct moving down of the opening device 26. Due to thecomblike interengagement of the clamping inserts 21 and 23, the clampingopening 24′ will then automatically adapt itself to the respectivediameter of the individual conductors 15, 16 and clamp said conductors.

The untwisting head 5 is located close to the twisting head 4 duringthis operation and, when the individual conductors have been clamped inposition, it is displaced in direction B so that the conductors 15, 16will be inserted in the apparatus. In so doing, the untwisting head 5 isonly displaced to such an extent that the other ends 35 of theconductors 15, 16 can be inserted without tension into the open jaws 20,22 of the twisting head 4 and advanced up to the stop surface 34.

Opening and the closing of the twisting fixation means 8 is then carriedout via the opening device 26 in a manner similar to that described inconnection with the untwisting head 5 (cf. FIG. 6).

When the other ends 35 have, again separately, been inserted into thetwisting fixation means 8, the untwisting head 5 is again displaced indirection B so as to apply the final tension to the conductors 15, 16.The conductors 15, 16 now extend substantially parallel to one another.During this operation, the pin 13 of the twisting slide 6 is eitherautomatically arranged between the conductors or it moves to thisposition before the actual twisting operation begins.

During the twisting operation (cf. FIG. 7), the twisting head 4 isrotated about the twisting axis A. This has the effect that theconductors 15, 16 will cross in the area of the pin 13 and twist.Simultaneously, the untwisting fixation means 10 of the untwisting head5 are rotated individually and parallel to the twisting axis A in thesame direction as the twisting head 4 so that a torsional stress isprevented from building up in the individual conductors 15, 16. Itfollows that the conductors 15, 16 only carry out a twisting movementwithout carrying out a torsional movement about their own axis, whichcould perhaps result in admissibly high tensions and a damagedconductor.

The distance between the twisting head 4 and the untwisting head 5 mustbecome smaller during the twisting operation, since the length of thetwisted cable will always be shorter than the length of the individualconductors 15, 16. In the present apparatus, the twisting head 4 movesin direction B′ towards the untwisting head 5 during the twistingoperation. In addition, a suitable tension acting on the conductors 15,16 is maintained during this process. The linear drive 11 can bypower-operated in a suitable manner.

Furthermore, the rotational speed of the twisting head 4 and thedisplacement speed C of the twisting slide 6 can be coordinated by acontrol means so that the twisting gradient can be adjusted. Preferably,the conductors 15, 16 are twisted more closely in the vicinity of thetwisting head 4 and of the untwisting head 5 so that a kind of knoteffect is produced, which makes inadvertent untwisting even moredifficult.

When the twisted cable has been finished, the twisting fixation means 8and the untwisting fixation means 10 will be opened by means of theopening device 26 and the cable will be removed.

As will easily be understandable, conductors having different conductorcross-sections, e.g. 0.35 to 2.5 mm², and different lengths, e.g. 0.4 to8 m, can be twisted on such a twisting apparatus 1. In this connection,it is possible that the conductor ends 33 and 35 are provided withattachments 32, e.g. in the form of contact terminals, housings, etc.,which are accommodated in the reception openings 31. This can be donebecause no torsion acts on the individual conductors 15, 16 during thetwisting operation. An important point is that the torsion of theindividual conductors produced by the twisting fixation means 8 iseliminated by the untwisting fixation means 10.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of twisting at least two individualconductors and operating a twisting apparatus comprising at least twountwisting fixation means (10) used for fixing first conductor ends (33)and arranged such that they are adapted to be rotated separately aboutan axis of each conductor and substantially parallel to a twisting axis(A), at least two twisting fixation means (8) used for fixing secondconductor ends (35) and arranged in opposed relationship with saiduntwisting fixation means (10) and adapted to be rotated in common aboutthe twisting axis, and a twisting slide (6) which is adapted to bepositioned between said conductors (15, 16), said untwisting fixationmeans (10), and said twisting fixation means (8) being adapted to bemoved relative to one another along the twisting axis (A), the methodcomprising the following steps: fixing the first conductor ends (33) ofindividual conductors (15, 16), which have been cut off of a suitablelength, in respective separate untwisting fixation means (10) which arerotatable substantially about an axis of each conductor andsubstantially parallel to a twisting axis (A); after the fixing of thefirst conductor ends (33), moving the untwisting fixation means (10)along the twisting axis (A) relative to and away from the twistingfixation means (8) by a specific length so as to insert the conductors(15, 16) into the twisting apparatus; fixing the second conductor ends(35) of said individual conductors (15, 16) in respective separate atleast two twisting fixation means (8) which are arranged such that theyare adapted to be rotated in common about said twisting axis (A);tensioning the conductors; arranging a twisting slide (6) between thetensioned conductors (15, 16); and rotating the at least two twistingfixation means (8) in common about the twisting axis (A) and rotatingthe at least two untwisting fixation means (10) about the conductor axisof the respective individual conductors (15, 16) in the same directionand coordinated with the rotation of the twisting fixation means so asto prevent torsional loads on the individual conductors.
 2. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the twisting slide (6) is arranged in thevicinity of the twisting fixation means (8) between the conductors (15,16) and is displaced during the twisting operation in the direction ofthe untwisting fixation means (10).
 3. A method according to claim 2,wherein speed of the displacement of the twisting slide (6) iscontrolled in dependence upon the speed with which the twisting fixationmeans (8) rotate about the twisting axis (A).
 4. A method according toclaim 1 wherein, the twisting fixation means (8) are moved relative toand in the direction of the untwisting fixation means (10) in acontrolled manner during the twisting operation.
 5. A method accordingto claim 1 wherein, the cutting to length and/or fixing of theindividual conductors (15, 16) is/are carried out automatically as afurther step.
 6. A method according to claim 1 wherein, after theclamping of the first conductor ends (33), the untwisting fixation means(10) are moved along the twisting axis (A) relative to and away from thetwisting fixation means (8) by a specific length so as to insert theconductors (15, 16) into a twisting apparatus.
 7. A method according toclaim 6, wherein the specific insertion length is smaller than themaximum distance between the untwisting and twisting fixation means (8,10) at the beginning of the twisting operation, and that, after thefixing of the second ends (35) in the twisting fixation means (8), theconductors (15, 16) are tensioned by a renewed relative displacement ofthe untwisting fixation means (10).
 8. A method according to claim 1wherein, the conductors (15, 16) are twisted more closely in the area oftheir conductor ends (33, 35) than in the residual area.
 9. A twistingapparatus for twisting at least two individual conductors, wherein atleast two untwisting fixation means (10) used for fixing conductor ends(33) and arranged such that they are adapted to be rotated separatelyabout an axis of each conductor and substantially parallel to a twistingaxis (A), at least two twisting fixation means (8) used for fixing thesecond conductor ends (35) and arranged in opposed relationship withsaid untwisting fixation means (10), said twisting fixation means (8)being arranged such that they are adapted to be rotated about thetwisting axis (A) in common, and a twisting slide (6) which is adaptedto be positioned between said conductors (15, 16), said untwistingfixation means (10) and said twisting fixation means (8) being adaptedto be moved relative to one another along the twisting axis (A) saiduntwisting fixation means being adapted to rotate in coordination withsaid twisting fixation means so as to prevent torsional loads on the atleast two individual conductors.
 10. A twisting apparatus according toclaim 9, wherein, the untwisting fixation means (10) are arranged on acommon untwisting slide such that they are displaceable along thetwisting axis (A) by means of a linear drive (11) to insert theconductors into the twisting apparatus.
 11. A twisting apparatusaccording to claim 9 or 10, wherein the twisting slide (6) is arrangedon a carriage (12) such that it is adapted to be displaced along thetwisting axis (A) by means of a linear drive (14).
 12. A twistingapparatus according to claim 9 wherein, the twisting fixation means (8)are arranged on a common support (19) which is adapted to be rotatedabout the twisting axis (A).
 13. A twisting apparatus according to claim9 wherein, the untwisting fixation means (10) and/or the twistingfixation means (8) each comprise a fixed clamping jaw (20) and a movableclamping jaw (22).
 14. A twisting apparatus according to claim 9wherein, the clamping jaws (20, 22) comprise a prismatic clamping areawhich is adjustable in size.
 15. A twisting apparatus according to claim9 wherein, the fixed and the movable clamping jaw (20, 22) arespring-loaded in the clamping direction with the aid of a spring means.16. A twisting apparatus according to claim 9 wherein, the untwistingfixation means (10) and the twisting fixation means (8) each provide astop (34) for the conductor ends (33, 35).
 17. A twisting apparatusaccording to claim 9 wherein, the untwisting fixation means (10) and thetwisting fixation means (8) comprise reception means (31) forattachments at the conductor ends (33, 35), said reception means (31)being displaced relative to the clamping area of the clamping jaws (20,22).
 18. A twisting apparatus according to claim 9 wherein, a controlmeans is provided, which coordinates the speeds of the untwistingfixation means (10) and of the twisting fixation means (8) and therelative displacement speeds of the twisting fixation means (8) and ofthe twisting slide (6) according to predetermined values.
 19. A twistingapparatus according to claim 9 wherein, at least two twisting stationscomprising corresponding structural components are arranged in anapparatus side by side.
 20. A twisting apparatus according to claim 9wherein, the twisting fixation means (8) are arranged such that they aredisplaceable along the linear guide means (3) with the aid of atransport means, e.g. a pneumatic cylinder with counterpressure control.